With continuous development in electronics technology, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been widely used in daily life. A battery is a power source for UAVs as it is lightweight, compact and stable in discharging. A battery of UAV comprises multiple cells. Any over-voltage, under-voltage, over-current or over-temperature in one or more of the cells can damage a composition material of the cell or even lead to an explosion of the battery.
A battery management system (BMS) is provided to ensure a safe operation of the battery. The BMS can collect information of cells in the battery including a voltage, a current or a temperature. The BMS can be configured to disconnect an electrical connection between the battery and an external device using a protection circuit board if a failure such as an over-current or an over-temperature is detected in the battery. An operation of the battery can be immediately terminated to prevent an over-voltage, an under-voltage, an overcurrent, a short-circuit or an over-temperature, thereby ensuring a safety of the battery.
In conventional technologies, a UAV carries only one battery in view of a limited payload capacity, and that one battery may account for half or even two thirds of the payload capacity. A power circuit of the UAV may be switched off upon a failure in the battery. As a result, the UAV may crash due to a loss of power in flight, leading to a safety risk.
A UAV may carry multiple batteries as backup batteries to extend a flight range. A backup battery can be used to power the UAV if a primary battery fails, such that a crash of UAV due to a loss of power can be prevented. However, a payload capacity of the UAV may be reduced as multiple batteries are carried onboard the UAV.